Final attainment level
The programme leads to an MA degree and carries a study load of 120 credits. It focuses specifically on research careers which may involve the pursuit of a doctorate. Graduates are specialists in the area of, for example, language acquisition, persuasive communication, multimodal interaction, or psycholinguistics, to which they bring an advanced knowledge of language and language use, communication and/or behaviour.
Graduates of the research master
1. can describe and apply general knowledge on the historical roots and modern developments within the fields of Language Studies and Communication Studies, and are capable of relating these fields to each other;
2. have a thorough understanding of knowledge pertaining to the theories upheld within the (sub)discipline of linguistics and communication studies in which they have specialized, while being critically aware of the current limitations of and/or new insights in these theories;
3. have a comprehensive understanding of approaches and techniques that support corpus-based, experimental, and computational research into language and communication.
Typically, in their chosen (sub)discipline, graduates of the research master will be able
4. to study independently and to evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship;
5. to select and apply the appropriate research method(s);
6. to act autonomously in planning, organizing and implementing a research project;
7. to communicate in English, clearly and unambiguously, both orally and in writing,
- to the scientific community, the conclusions from their research, and the knowledge and the rationale underpinning these; communication may be in the form of a research report, a contribution to a conference proceedings, a peer reviewed article, or a presentation given at a symposium or workshop;
- to a lay audience, the purpose of their research, their findings and the significance of these; communication is in the form of, for example, a popularizing article, a blog, or a press interview;
8. to demonstrate self-direction and originality in identifying research topics/questions and casting these in a fundable research grant proposal which they can successfully present and defend in an interview before a review committee;
9. to contribute to societal or public debate in a meaningful way and to create scientific and societal value through the application and utilization of the outcome of scientific research.
In their work, graduates uphold the standards of academic life, i.e. they show curiosity, a critical mind, and an openness with regard to new or deviant views, while they at all times adhere to ethical standards.